The Briefest Snow
by Om0cha
Summary: Naruto desperately wanted to believe in Sasuke, in the gentle hand held out to him and the voice that spoke like a promise. Unfortunately, doing that would be against every other belief he had ever told himself. SasuNaru.
1. Reverie

_**The Briefest Snow**_

_By Om0cha_

**W****arnings: **SasuNaru yaoi, explicit scenes, religious references.

**Disclaimer: **Naruto was created 11 years ago by Masashi Kishimoto, who was a bit too bored while eating ramen and picking at spiral fishcake.

**Notes: **I apologise if the religious references are a bit off. I haven't really been brought up with a background in it and all I know is what I've read about. If anyone would like to point out things to me that I could change, it would be greatly appreciated :)

_Story begins -_

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Sasuke pulled his eyes with difficulty away from the mocking blonde, feeling wisps of malignant intent inebriate not just his mind to tempt his bloodlust from there, but bleed into his irises as well. Ignoring it with some misgiving at the intensity, he instead found the altar behind Naruto and ran his gaze slickly down the expanse of marble alongside the chancel, coming to a pause between two half-melted candles. He frowned at what was there. A chalice he hadn't noticed before now seemed to jump out at him from the ivory with a metallic flourish, suddenly becoming as obvious as the wide flicker of Naruto's eyelashes to Sasuke's abruptly tensed shoulders.

His composed expression threatened to turn into a snarl and the scarlet flecking his dark pupils increased as he realized that the foreign, foreboding sensation surrounding the church had been coming from the innocent, golden trinket the entire time...and the deep red liquid that it held.

"What is that?" he demanded, growling even as the answer was whispered, _brushed_ against the back of his mind. To his chagrin his voice strained slightly beyond his control. He disguised his disgust with a scowl, for in that chalice…

Naruto took note of and snorted at Sasuke's peculiar weakness, oddly satisfied at the presence of an imperfection in the otherwise abnormally perfect male. He sat back disrespectfully on his perch on the altar with his legs swinging and arm held out next to him, angled over the offending object. The pad of his forefinger pressed around the decorated rim in a contemplative, casual manner, the action imitating a twisted fondness as he traced his own movements.

"This?" he sang tauntingly, and his eyes flickered up to Sasuke once before lowering to his hand again.

But he was careful, and never once let his skin dip beyond the threshold of the rim to touch the still surface of its contents. Moving candlelight revealed to Sasuke the tightening of Naruto's lower lip and he deduced the boy was hiding uneasiness with recklessness. Granted, he would be appeased to know that Sasuke wouldn't take another step closer to the liquid, and that the aura it gave off was nothing short of foul potency to him. Ironic, because what was innocently bathing the insides of the golden chalice was nothing less than –

"Vampire blood."

His glare shifted quickly upwards and his heart, which he'd long considered stale, gave a fresh, traitorous beat. Finding himself unwittingly looking at azure that reflected the wavering candle flames, he wondered whether Naruto had been waiting for such a reaction all this time, some unknown flicker stirring in those depths with the swirling flames. Naruto had said the words lightly and his next sentence filled the Uchiha with a dichotomy of frustration and relief, the rare emotional ride he'd been forced to experience tonight quickly sinking him over into the former.

The story in large, liquid, blue eyes was of a lifetime of suffering as they trapped him, and Naruto's voice was exquisitely soft as though he was telling a painful secret. For the first time Sasuke heard Naruto plead.

"But we all know vampires don't exist. Right, Sasuke?"

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_**Prologue:**_

_**The Snow That **__**Falls**_

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_December_

The perfect way to end their high school career would have been on a bright summer day, with sunbeams peeking through just the wispiest layer of curious clouds, and azure blue running for as far into the distance as they would like to deem, _freedom_. But it was winter, it was more cloudy than was desirable, and the entire affair had taken on a drab grayness that hinted at their moods, in the shadows of their seats, into the hopes and dreams that they were now uncertain of.

The graduation ceremony itself was long and boring and Naruto couldn't say he hadn't been expecting it. Shikamaru was asleep not far into the second speech and fidgeting unabatedly, he fought down the impulse to texter-ise his friend's face and coerce him onto the stage covered in rainbows. The thought of the statement it'd make created a sly snicker in its wake and like a warning, Shikamaru shifted in his sleep. He'd always been a light sleeper, unfortunately for Naruto. After the school captain gave his heedlessly long address however, Naruto snapped out of his pleasurable daydreaming and with Kiba they prodded Shikamaru awake from either side, the feat itself taking more effort than texterising ever would.

Naruto hissed at his slowly stirring friend. Leaning over to reach his sling bag before straightening again with the contents of the front pocket, he shoved Shikamaru's palm cards into his groggy hand and helped him off his seat by ways of kicking his shin, a travelling pace of one step a minute simply not good enough. He gave both thumbs up and beamed encouragingly when the other looked back at them with a 'do I have to?' expression, before resignedly stalking up the steps and to the podium. He had been announced as valedictorian a month beforehand, an achievement which Naruto was extremely proud of when the brunette himself didn't really care in the slightest. Naruto had refused to hear any however, and had taken it upon himself to cut out pieces of little white paper for the other's speech and then making him write it out, done so that he wouldn't forget what he was saying on the Naruto-dubbed 'important occasion' that spanned a grand total of ten minutes.

Kiba shuffled into Shikamaru's now absent seat and closer to Naruto, engaging him in a cheery chatter that would resemble something like pleased relatives of Shikamaru to watchers. Before Naruto knew it, he'd been roped into a bet about whether Shikamaru's palm cards were blank or not. His brashness surprised even him sometimes. He leered at his tattooed friend. Kiba turned to the stage and appeared unperturbed though, so with a suspicious look and a shrug Naruto made a mental reminder to roll him for the money later. He wondered why he even bothered making the bet. For the next five minutes, it seemed that the speech just passed by him, something that had nothing to do with Shikamaru's insane choice of words.

Several hours past, they were walking on the street between the auditorium and car park, bickering as the sky darkened overhead to navy.  
Naruto scowled as he handed over a 20 note to Kiba, the other flicking the note and listening to the crisp sound with satisfaction. The crinkling of it next to Naruto's ear was strangely clear, compared to the dulled drone he had been enduring for the greater part of the day. The street lights were starting to turn on above their heads and he took advantage of the new luminosity to glare accusingly at Shikamaru where he could see him. Only half pretending to be hurt, he whined about his loss.

Shikamaru had always been well aware that utter lack of graciousness around Naruto would set off a blonde bomb, but grace was such a difficult and troublesome thing to imitate. He vaguely pondered that if he'd only been a bit more bothered, he could have avoided letting Naruto see the palm cards and thus avoided this. It was a tossup between two greater bothers, but it was, after all, Naruto's lack of observatory skills that had allowed Shikamaru to escape speech-writing in the first place, and Shikamaru had always held this ability over Naruto.

Naruto looked sideways with a slight tinge of jealousy. Having been just about opposite in school performance to the other, he was pretty glad that it was all over with the graduation ceremony. He hadn't done well in his exams; he'd spent most of his last year instead entertaining all his classmates and giving his teachers enough hell to have his name forever blacklisted on the detention roll. He chuckled and it finally sank in then: his school life was over. Never again would he lounge on the roof or expanses of golden-green lawns with his friends, where their biggest worry was what excuse to give for not showing up to the next lesson or for missing the previous. He didn't have much hope for college so long corridors and concrete courtyards would quickly disappear, and with a stab of icy fear he realised he didn't really know where his life would go.

He turned uneasily and put his hands in his black blazer pockets as they reached and stood in silence at the intersection where they would part. He'd fallen deep into his own thoughts and as his fingers felt velvet, the reminder that he had to wear just about all black to today's ceremony only further heightened his sense of discomfort; he hated wearing it more than was absolutely necessary.

Kiba informed him that they were going to Shikamaru's, and Shikamaru nodded to Naruto. Half the time Kiba's presence at his house was self-invited and a clarification was in order. The dog enthusiast looked at him hopefully and Naruto knew what was coming. He shook his head and grimaced.

He apologised.

His boss wouldn't allow it.

He needed the job. The money.

Kiba cussed out Naruto's boss. He had never actually met him, but anyone that strict had to be an old skeleton who probably thought employees still worked on a master-servant basis. Naruto eyed him hardly. They were both stubborn. It was what had started their friendship. His dependency on his income was one of the reasons why Kiba never bet big with him and now that he thought about it, he should have realised Kiba had been pretty confident. The sum tended to be much, _much_ larger otherwise. Naruto begrudgingly admitted to himself, the only way to deter him from a bet with Kiba was to stack on the zeroes.

Kiba frowned and Shikamaru nodded in what Naruto assumed was an understanding way. Aware that he should leave before Kiba regained use of his tongue, Naruto smiled brightly at them and took a step forward, hesitance in his movement. He punched Kiba on the shoulder as was common between them and after being punched back harder than he thought he was due for, he ran down to the corner of the street, stopping beneath the next light to glance back.

Kiba shouted out to him, and Naruto could see his lip movements from far away in the dark.

Naruto waved his arm a few times before lowering it, pausing for a moment to stare before he scurried around the corner. In his mind's eye he saw the other two talking away like the childhood friends they were as they walked in the opposite direction to Kiba's car. He really hoped they wouldn't be talking about him; he hadn't intended to make Kiba feel guilty. Well, maybe he had but he hadn't _wanted_ to.

With each step he took from streets bathed in light and into webs of leafless, black tree branches, it was like his own thoughts would drift further, too. From his hesitant dwellings on Shikamaru and Kiba, they fell delicately, slipping down onto other more darker branches, like piled snow weighing down. He broke into a run and as he completely left the path, his entire being was spreading out like the dark arms above, dedicating himself to praying he was on time as he followed the path that would lead him to the church.

Through it all, everything was so colourless, so soundless, so distant, so cold.

* * *

It was probably a cold night, Sasuke thought. The type that humans would feel clearly and take for granted as unwanted.

He sat with an open novel in his lap, in a large, regal armchair that faced the mantle of darkness clawing at his ajar window, its panels criss-crossed with intricate patterns of brilliant white frost. His intuition told him it was nearing deep Winter but it made barely any difference to him while he read. As the wind billowed inside the thin, white gossamer curtains and the bottom edges floated just barely across his pale hands, he wistfully closedhis book and placed it on the table edge, dullness of content being the reason for his disengagement. He removed his reading glasses as well and switched off the antique table lamp with a click of his fingers, feeling a familiar annoyance at the fact that his night vision was better than his normal eyesight. His reading glasses were often a subject of teasing by Itachi, and Sasuke supposed it had its grounds. He was reduced to reading classics to pass the time, he thought sardonically, when he himself was as old if not older than most of them.

How pathetic.

There was also the fact that he, an immortal and just about all powerful being (according to these novels he read, at least) could be found perusing stories like a common human. Sasuke snorted and decided he needed to find another hobby that was less degrading. Hundreds of lights flickered outside and as he leant back into the soft confines of his armchair, he mused on how much time had changed Konoha, his eyelids flickering with a heaviness that had nothing to do with sleep.

Itachi was probably out in the town somewhere, terrorising the bars and taverns that had infested the modern world in the past half a century. He sometimes invited Sasuke to join him but the younger Uchiha always declined with a refined glare that suggested making such an offer was against the other's best interests. Unlike Itachi he usually only went out at night when he needed blood. Itachi was different that way – he could adapt to any era, no matter how unlike the previous and submerge himself in the pleasures that came with it, even occasionally taking on an identity. Temptation was beneath a vampire of Sasuke's age and calibre but that was just the problem: there was _nothing_ out there that interested the younger Uchiha. With his elbow on the armrest, Sasuke sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

It was times like this that he wished he could sleep. He sat for awhile more, eyes closed in an imitation of a repose that wouldn't ever come before he opened them to reveal abruptly red pupils. These flickered to the window as he pushed himself up off the chair with effortless grace and appeared at the aperture with barely a light step, all movements weaved into one, perfect execution.

His rested his hands on the white, wooden sill and his eyes narrowed to crimson slits as he looked out over the metropolitan landscape. Something tingled his skin yet it wasn't the cold; he felt nothing above absolutely freezing temperatures. It was just a very slight sensation but for Sasuke, it sent a thrill through his withered veins. It wasn't very often that a vampire could _feel_.

Where?

His gaze searched through the midnight landscape as if it were exposed as clearly as in broad daylight. Skeletal trees swayed gently and the terrain was void of anything suspicious, making him feel frustrated. The vibes began occurring nigh two decades ago, coming on and off in a fashion that had worried him enough to talk to Itachi about it. His older brother had been quite as confused as him for a few months, before coming to a conclusion that they may just be particularly strong reactions to a type of blood. The verdict didn't sit well with Sasuke. Ridiculous as it sounded, he'd had the slightest deliberation that he was regaining some human senses. The fact that it was the complete opposite, and that his vampire-acquired lust for blood was only increasing infuriated him. He had to find the source of it. But he couldn't go out searching around streets, not when tonight was a blaring full moon. It occurred more on such events and he briefly pondered that such a quality belonged to werewolves. He scowled to himself.

"I'm reading too much fantasy," he muttered offhandedly and it was bemusing in a way, that even though he had a fraction of his personality desperately craving humanity, his still found most of the human world to be beyond his care.

As he thought this the tiny pulling at his senses disappeared altogether and he calmly walked around the armchair to his bed. He lay himself down and ignoring the nagging that he had no use of this bed otherwise, his thoughts led him to definitively decide that he would find what was causing these abnormal senses. When he did, he would either qualm his troubled senses, or else efface the source from his mind and sight altogether.

* * *

The sky was grey on New Years Eve.

Naruto hummed cheerfully to himself as he half-skipped, half-walked the route back to his apartment, the tune a merry nothing concocted from his mind. In his left hand a plastic bag swung heavily with sticky cake and the right pulled his white scarf closer to his neck as he glanced up at the cloudy sky. It had only just started to snow but if that colour was anything to go by, they would wake up the next morning to the first winter wonderland of the season. Anticipation brought by such a thought as well as ramen and sticky cake to accompany him through the New Year meant that he was in high spirits and didn't really pay much heed to the narrow alley near the supermarket.

So when someone grabbed him by the forearm in mid-hum as he walked past and yanked him into it, his first, logical thought was _'thief!' _and he screamed a somewhat high-pitched, girly scream.

The person exhaled in irritation and clapped a gloved hand over his mouth, proceeding to pull him backwards deeper into the backstreet before shoving him forwards into a pile of crates. Naruto held out his hands to stop a face-first impact and winced as a raised nail cut clean through his woollen gloves and into his palm. His bag of sticky cake lay a few feet away where he'd dropped it in his struggles and now that he had overcome his first shock, he decided that one of the crates beneath him would make a very nice weapon. He hadn't even gripped it though before a cold voice froze him, his hand left hovering just above the wood.

"You idiot."

Naruto looked up and his joyful mood was immediately gone, sunk down and down beneath the earth to grace Satan with a bit of Christmas cheer.

'_Neji?' _

Indeed, the Hyuuga heir was glaring down at him in a casual stance with his arms crossed, appearing quite off-putting in his thick attire and inset frown.

"What do you want?" Naruto asked quietly. He was nervous. Why would Neji show up twice this month?

"Go to the Eastern Church tonight," Neji commanded. Sunrays from behind him cast his handsome features into shadow and Naruto vaguely toyed with the idea he was glowing like a supposed deity before he snapped to that this was his New Years Eve being taken away by the prick.

"But I already went this month!" he burst out, scrabbling to get up. He managed to pull himself from the crates with the wall for support so that he faced the (significantly taller) other. "Why—"

"It is a blue moon," Neji said, lips thinning. "Did you not bother to check your calendar?"

Naruto's lips clamped shut. The Hyuuga heads of family gave him dates to mark on his own calendar at the beginning of each year and he had just about memorised when and to which church he'd have to go. He had once forgotten and only realised after he got home from his part-time job. When he did he ran to the church but it was too late; he was given punishment and kept there for three days and away from school. After that the clan ordered that he quit his job and all remuneration would be supplied on the condition he didn't break time again.

"I…I forgot," Naruto admitted. He felt like kicking himself. He'd been preparing for a peaceful night at home and now it didn't matter anymore.

"You forgot," Neji repeated. "I shouldn't have to remind you about what happened the last time you did that," he said, and Naruto was glad he didn't.

_I bet they just pick full moons so that they don't forget too, _he thought vengefully.

"Were you sent here to make sure I go?" he asked, voicing this curious question. He didn't really see why they would bother, especially since he figured they would take every chance they could to give him extra chastisement.

"Tonight is particularly important," Neji answered, and Naruto abandoned his ludicrous idea that the clan officials might have a human side. "Because your last exorcism was at the very beginning of the month, we can all see that your…demon, is becoming restless." His eyes dropped to Naruto's abdomen for a moment and Naruto knew the euphemism was about the tattoo-like marking that may as well be a curse across his belly.

"If you don't go then you risk other people and even normal humans sensing that aura," Neji continued. "In which case, we'll have to kill you." The casualness with which he uttered the plain threat chilled the snowy air further. Naruto hurriedly avoided Neji's eyes and the unbearable glare that he knew would be there.

"I understand," he said almost mechanically, unable to keep a hint of bitterness out of his voice. His head was lowered but he could tell from his shadow that Neji stared at him for a moment, perhaps considering why he wasn't putting up more of an argument. "I'll be there so you can tell them to put away all their chains and shit." Expecting Neji to tell him off for not respecting his precious family, he was surprised when the other merely lifted up the plastic bag that he'd dropped before as white snowflakes flurried all around.

'_Why is it someone so beautiful,' _Naruto though forlornly as Neji straightened and white fell in spirals from his long, black hair, _'can also be so dangerous?' _Neji's eyes, pale lilac and a symbol of his inherent power, remained impassive as he motioned slightly at the bag.

"I will leave these in your apartment," he said resolutely, clearly indicating it were a bother and the last thing he wanted to do. "It is already late and you will have to run from here to get to the church on time." Naruto mumbled "thanks" and clumsily stepped out of the pile of crates, at the same time feeling spitefully pleased at the fact someone else wasn't having their ideal New Year either. He yelped when his wrist was grabbed in a powerful grip and saw Neji glaring daggers at his hand.

"What now?" he asked impatiently. In answer Neji pulled his glove off and he exclaimed as the snow touched his skin, making him shiver and feel substantially colder. Only then did he remember he was most probably bleeding. He grimaced when he saw the nail had cut a deep, bloody gash across his thenar and that without the glove to absorb his blood, it was presently dripping onto the building snow.

"That'll attract any _parasites_ that are nearby," Neji said harshly and he pushed Naruto's hand away from him like it was infectious. He shrugged off his thick, black coat and threw it at the blonde, the large garment landing half across the blonde's face. "Put that on and get out of here," he commanded and Naruto quickly exited the alley with the coat bundled up near his hands, not wanting to face a peeved Neji.

_S__o much for a happy new year, _he thought resentfully as he pulled the coat on. It hid the blood well and the sleeves almost completely covered his hands. Most probably it was coupled with tricks or charms to keep away the claimed 'parasites.' To his relief the baggy material was also extremely warm against the snow as he lowered his head and walked through it.

Everyone was at home with their families and the roads were near empty, the gutters starting to line with hills of powdery white as snow fell thicker. Christmas lights that hadn't yet been taken down blinked soundlessly at him from windows and doors, showing him something forbidden that he'd never have. Naruto hummed lightly to himself and looking like a lone caroller to anyone who'd peek out their window pane, he passed beneath the glowing, colourful lanterns that swung slowly above the streets.

_End of Prologue_

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Notes:

(1) According to Wikipedia, 31st December 2009 is a blue moon.

I know that most people give up on a story somewhere during the first chapter. In the case that you've reached this note and are considering doing just that, please take the time to let me know why.


	2. Chapter 1

_**The Briefest Snow**_

_By __Om0cha_

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_**Chapter One:**_

_**The **__**Snow That Burns**_

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As New Year came and glasses of alcohol were raised across the city, the younger of the Uchiha brothers was storming through the streets in silent, seething rage.

Choking smoke was thickening in the air and unable to control his instincts, Sasuke's eyes began to intermittently flash brilliant red to allow him to avoid the midnight stragglers and lonely souls that loomed at him from the shadows. He cursed himself and Itachi with his colourful knowledge of the modern language as he entered the small, local red-light district, passing a scantily dressed woman that got into a large limousine. He took a left turn and with his hooded cloak hiding all of his features, he set about weaving through the narrow, convoluted alleys, constantly looking about through his peripheral vision. The place was more empty than usual because most people were at home to pass the Eve, but nonetheless his heightened senses still bristled at the lingering stench of perfume, sweat and alcohol that impeded his search for blood, making his nose wrinkle in disgust.

He had left it too late into the month and now he needed blood, a lot of it, and soon. In the pit of his stomach Sasuke could feel a familiar clawing coming up and knew that it would reach his throat and head soon. When that happened he would end up with blood not only in his stomach, but all over his body and the street. His last drink was over four weeks ago. The lack of blood was beginning to bring about animalistic changes in him. His incisors had even sharpened and were beginning to bruise the skin behind his lips. Desperation brought him begrudgingly here – to the most shadowy region reachable from his own home, and a place where disappearances were often unnoticed.

He couldn't even leave the city to hunt, he thought angrily, his gritted, sharp teeth easily visible if anyone got too close. Again he damned Itachi, hoping that with his advanced senses the older vampire would be able to feel the daggers Sasuke ached to throw at him. Without Sasuke's knowledge the emergency bottles of blood posing as wine in their deep freeze had ran out. The older Uchiha had developed a distasteful tendency to treat blood the way humans treated alcohol, and sometimes came home to indulge in glasses of it when he wasn't in the mood for hunting. Being the very responsible vampire he was, Itachi had left the task of refilling them to Sasuke. Of course, that would mean he'd have to have told Sasuke about their depletion first. There was no cooperation there, unfortunately. No Itachi at all rather, for the past week or so.

So now Sasuke was on full alert as he navigated the alleys, endeavouring to find an isolated target away from prying eyes and at the same time painfully aware of his building thirst, the sensation like a dry cough scratching to escape, annoying and persistent. He slipped furtively between two buildings so close together that he had to step sideways. He noticed a presence on the other side. The spring in his step as he left the backstreet positioned him to appear soundlessly on the eaves of the building opposite, where he lowered himself down and away from sight.

His sharp hearing caught the crunch of brittle, hardened snow beneath boots and he sank further back against the shadows offered by a brick structure, most probably something that allowed sunlight to filter in through the inset window. Clearly, he saw a brown haired figure of well-built stature and no older than forty enter the alley, a paper bag held against his body with his upper arm and the other hand clumsily dragging out something from his pocket. Sasuke always analysed potential victims before he made any move. His preferred inebriated youth because they almost always remembered nothing due to their weaker immunity to substances. Unfortunately, there was probably none of those around tonight and he was far too desperate to carefully comb the streets for that chance.

As brown-hair walked closer to Sasuke's hiding spot against the brick edifice, a Cheshire cat grin spread across his stubbled face and Sasuke watched the satisfied greed in his eyes as he poured coins and notes into his palm, no doubt counting his earnings of the night. A gambler, Sasuke surmised, following the rough movements. His lips stretched up over his teeth as he leered and revealed his white fangs to glint in the night. It morphed into a sadistic, satisfied smile and he surrendered his eyes to become completely red as he rose from his crouch.

Perfect.

In the ten seconds it took Sasuke to analyse the mans appearance, strength, gambler's conceit and definite solitariness, he had walked past his hiding place and was beginning to near the exit into the main street. Seeing and hearing no one else nearby, Sasuke felt the inert gratification of being the hunter suddenly come to life and burst forth in his mind as he stepped along the roof eaves, his pace increasing as he neared his prey so that he was running lithely by the time he was diagonally behind.

Something must have conspired to this man's death then. While he was slipping his money back into his pocket, a note floated from his palm and to the ground behind him. With a grumble he turned around and swiped it together with a handful of snowflakes back into his hand. As he straightened with it, as Sasuke stood directly above his gaze and as surprised hazel eyes met crimson before distorting into bewilderment and consequent panic, Sasuke felt a grimness settle into the pit of his stomach.

"I'll have to kill you now," he whispered coldly to the person below. With his hood blown back by his fast pace, standing on the roof ledge with his cloak heaving around him and white whipping past his glowing irises, Sasuke knew he appeared every part as supernatural as he was.

The man's eyes widened and his mouth opened in either confusion or protest. Then Sasuke materialised in a whirl of flakes directly in front of him and he propelled himself backwards instead.

"What – How did you—?"

Sasuke's fingers tightened around his neck. Through his fear, the man could only stare at his killer. Sasuke's expression remained fixated and void as he felt bones begin to twist.

His prey died within a few seconds. Sasuke received no attempts to retaliate against him, which came as a slight surprise; the man's build suggested he could've put up quite the fight if he wished to. The vampire still had his hands on the others neck and empty eyes stared disconcertingly at him, which he closed so that not even his victim would see him next.

With the tip of his finger he swiftly cut a thin but deep line down the column of the man's neck. Normally he would have been put off by the sweat and paleness of the skin before him, but it was too late to worry about things like that. He took all the man had and felt pleasantly satisfied he wouldn't have to attack anyone else tonight. On the other hand, although appeasing, the blood flowing from the man's wrist and past Sasuke's lips wasn't to his palate, another slight difference between himself and Itachi. It didn't taste sweet to him, no matter what stories his brother wove.

One-tracked want for the life sustaining liquid began to fade and intellect took control, telling him to start planning his clean-up of the regrettable crime scene. Getting rid of the body shouldn't be difficult, there were isolated bogs and fields near the mountains bordering the city. He scanned the alley and saw no suspicious circumstances the wind and snow couldn't blow over, until his obsidian eyes dropped to the paper bag not far from him that had ripped beneath his victim's dying grip. Something bright peeked out from between the cottoned edges of lighter brown.

He stared at it for a long time.

* * *

A small, brown haired girl with tattered mufflers and hand-sewn gloves stepped into the alley. When she didn't see anyone she blew up her cheeks and knew she'd have to tell her mother that she couldn't find daddy, and that the news would hardly please her. She was already unhappy he hadn't come home for New Years Eve. Turning around to leave, she saw against the wall that there was a torn bag the wind hadn't yet managed to paint with white.

Now, she knew her mother always told her not to pick up things; they belonged to someone else, and might even be dangerous. All the same, she couldn't resist and squatted down on her haunches to investigate further into the contents. Prying the edges apart curiously, she found to her exclamation of delight that it was full with arrays of candy canes and assortments of sweet treats. These she began to eat happily as she ventured home, sharing the rest with her glum mother. What was best though and which she would keep on her little bedside table for many years to come, was an adorable, cloth doll that she had wanted for as long as she could remember. Just that…daddy had never been able to buy it.

* * *

For so long as he could remember, Naruto had thought churches were creepy.

His first memory of a church was fractured. Later, he learned that it was the Central Church that he'd seen as he was lead along a path by someone. Through thin, leafless branches and hedges, a foggy view of the marble structure would appear and disappear from view, but imprint itself firmly into his mind – He had been convinced it was a ghost building. There was a part of him that replaced the empty, leading hand with a visage of his mother from his only photograph of her and his father. He did that with a lot of memories, but it wasn't really important in this childhood recollection. For all he knew, it _was_ his mother that had guided him; she was certainly alive at that time of his life.

Years later when his parents were dead and he was discovered by the Hyuugas, he had his second encounter with that same church. It wasn't so much a reunion because he hadn't known where he was until a good couple of months of incarceration later. Needless to say, despite its grandeur and architecture the Central Church was the one he hated the most. He could pretty safely say he hated any large, daunting structure and that he could thank the Hyuugas for the very happy childhood.

Did he mention that being stuck alone in a church could also be _extremely_ boring?

He glared in outrage from his sitting spot on the sanctuary, at the black, heavy chains that he'd come to hate and which despite his requests, were _still_ there. Not that it would have changed much –it wasn't like he'd run— but there was just something about being locked up like an animal that rubbed him every bit the wrong way. It seemed Neji had failed to pass along his request and so the heavy, black chains and padlocks now crisscrossed across the tall, double doors and walls. Naruto knew that if he went too close to them, their solid black colour would quickly glow blinding white. Experience taught him that some weird hocus-pocus the Hyuuga priests lay on them would knock him out and into the next morning. Although given his current predicament, that might not be such a bad way to spend the night.

Annoyed and devoid of anything to do in the substantially smaller Eastern Church, Naruto had resigned himself to pulling pebbles of peat from the furnace and skipping them down the aisle, over and between the floating candles in their glasses. They formed a semi-circle around him and the sanctuary, strikingly bright enough to illuminate every row of benches up to the doors. Falling asleep was desirable, but at the same time not an option. The crackling flames, the beating of branches against the windows, the slightest noise in this place was enough to throw Naruto from rest and into fearful panic, helped along by his already present discomfort with the building. The coat Neji had given him lay bundled on the floor behind him, removed when the proximity to the flames became too stifling to bear. The sound of the clattering pebbles he threw echoed up to the wooden supports of the roof which stretched from end to end, connecting the stained-glass windows that surveyed the church from high up the walls.

The clatters were loud, Naruto thought.

Yet the church was so silent, he felt, always holding its sacred, unvoiced position over him.

Sometimes the feeling of being alone in this place got to his head. There were times when he spent the entire night kneeling soundlessly before the altar, staring up the length of the organ pipes to the cross, his hands lax at his sides and an unreadable expression adorning his features. He would fancy that he was having a battle of wills— bet, gamble, _whatever_— with the imaginary Father.

He would dare it to take him away and question its ability to end everything, even the Hyuuga's stranglehold over him. Then his attacks would turn back on himself, and he would ponder if it was him, or if the Father had somehow gotten inside his mind and was taunting him.

You could do it yourself, the other voice said. You could take _yourself_, _away_. He never let that voice win. That voice shouldn't have existed at all and by extension, the Father didn't exist. It was all in his head. There was no way that some guy up there was able to make his life a living hell and continue to do so. Which meant that it was all within Naruto's (and certainly, others) power to get him out of this life. He just hadn't figured out how yet.

"I bet you can't do it, old man," Naruto said. He had his back to the altar and cross as he continued skipping peat. He would get out of this city by his own will and never come back. He would go away but not _that_ way, which was held out like an always available lifeline by the piteous lord (who, by the way, was all in his head). He would be happy, and there was absolutely nothing anyone or anything could do about it. This was his mantra, the belief that things would get better. It was with this thought that his aim slipped, and he was struck with the clarity of a shattering candle holder.

Naruto cursed. As the peat and glass shards scattered across the smooth floor, glinting from a dozen places where previously they had occupied only one, he tightened his jaw and looked at the chains. His eyes narrowed. The Hyuugas would be here soon. They would come to fix up the circle, punish him, and then be on their merry way again while he was left to wait out the rest of this miserable New Years Eve. He could see his delirious plans of escape meeting yet another obstacle.

If Naruto had bothered to lift his face a bit more, to the circular, stained window to the top right of the door, he would have seen a pair of red eyes materialise, and known that the Hyuugas would not be his only visitors tonight.

* * *

After Sasuke watched the man's body sink completely beneath the nauseous grey surface of the bog, he was apathetic once again. It was as though by destroying the body, he was discarding all reminders that the man had ever been. As though he hadn't ever been there for him to kill in the first place.

Less burdened, he re-entered the city at a leisurely walking pace. Night strolls were a luxury about which he had completely forgotten how much he used to enjoy. Moreso when he had still been able to feel the gentle wind that was always more fresh than in the day, but being a vampire still didn't change that illusionary feel of the moonlight against his skin. Tonight the blue moon illuminated the snowy path for him after he deactivated his advanced vision, in this dreary part of the city where the council had not bothered to set up public streetlights.

Konoha's council was a strange one. Sasuke had seen many generations of rulers come and go. The dynasties of China, the dictatorial rule of lords in small English villages, and the courts of kings and queens that his brother had dared to stand in, pompous as he was. It was only when the Salem Witch Trials got so out of hand that the Uchiha brothers might be accused out of sheer, dumb luck that the two returned to Japan. They had gone to the outskirts of the destroyed village that had been their birth place and from there, watched the rise of a new civilisation.

Perhaps because Konoha was isolated from other major cities and generally unknown, it remained almost uninfluenced by the laws outside it. The council was composed of a small handful of elected members, with the rest being clan members. Specifically, the Hyuuga clan had the largest stake. Under their tutelage, Konoha grew into a greatly superstitious city that Sasuke had queried Itachi about before, questioning why they remained here. He didn't fear capture, he had the whole world to escape to. The fact was, though, that he didn't like people. He particularly disliked people who thought they had the god given ability to weed out imperfections, when all they did was spout nonsense that motivated fearful citizens into believing what they did was for the good. A repeat of the Salem trials always seemed like a distinct possibility in Konoha.

The Hyuuga clan heads were described as being priests and they had commanded the building of several churches throughout the city. When they were first built, Sasuke had dared to venture into them. Eventually however, he grew tired of mocking the oblivious mortals and stayed away.

For almost four hundred years, Sasuke believed that he and Itachi were the only supernatural beings in Konoha. So in the present, when an electrical tingling that had plagued him for the more recent twenty years now came back with a vengeance, Sasuke felt the beginnings of his anger at it stir again. How had _this_, whatever it was, managed to creep into Konoha without his knowing?

He paused his steps. Like a cloaked phantom he disappeared from the path, leaping lightly through thin woods towards the source. He would pursue it tonight, when the city was asleep and awaiting the first day of the year, and snow would be his accomplice. He raised an eyebrow when the Eastern Church came into view but without hesitance, flickered up to perch himself on the ledge of a huge, round stained window the moment he was close enough. Sasuke's right arm twinged fromhis neck down to his fingers. There was something moving inside the building.

At first he could see nothing through the frosted, rippled glass, and he let his irises bleed red. Dozens of glowing lights became apparent down the aisle between the pews, a single one of them shattered and surrounded by black. His gaze followed the line of candles up to the semi-circle that formed around the altar, and it was there that he saw a golden-haired youth, seated on the steps with his blue eyes fixed solidly upon the double doors, arms wrapped protectively around his legs in front of him. He was on the verge of human adulthood, his young features reaching their most striking stage. Sasuke watched as the blonde bit his lip, eyes darting briefly to the broken glass before going back to the door.

The whole setup itself was vaguely reminiscent to something he had seen a long time ago. Sasuke suspected it was an exorcism, and that the boy inside had somehow aroused unwanted attention to himself from the priests. The whisker marks on his cheeks may very well have been the reason, he though shrewdly. The blonde appeared to be waiting for something to happen. Sasuke waited with him, watching him with the faintest sinking feeling. There was that urge again. A strange attraction that made Sasuke feel sick when he remembered he might merely be craving the blood of the boy inside.

It took only a few minutes for something to happen. Sasuke turned around when he heard someone coming quickly along the path, crunching snow alerting him for the second time that evening. He froze. It had not occurred to him that a Hyuuga would be stalking around at this time of night. As it was, his eyes were not back to normal, and when the Hyuuga male walking ten metres below suddenly looked up and locked lilac eyes with his, Sasuke knew that for the first time in centuries he had been caught. He acted immediately.

Smirking with a deranged kind of resignation, he drew his left arm up sharply and the glass behind him imploded with a ringing crack, hundreds of pieces raining down and obscuring his form, the sudden gaping warmth coming from within the church drawing in snowflakes and clutching at Sasuke with such a palpability that even he was almost drawn to it. At a shout he looked over his shoulder just in time to glimpse bright, blue eyes widen in shock and then he was gone, pulling his hood lower over his head as he leapt down through shimmering glass and white and ran towards the woods.

Neji had raised his arm to block the worst of the shards with his coat sleeve, gritting his teeth at the loss of sight, almost disbelieving at what he had just seen. The clan heads were right. There was a true vampire tracing Naruto. While his eyes were covered, he heard a faint _whoosh_ and felt the air move as the vampire fled. A faint snicker hummed in the bitter air and Neji bolted blindly towards the direction it came from. He removed his arm just in time to see the tip of a heavy cloak disappear from the path and into the woods.

"Not so fast, vampire," he hissed and tore after him.

Sasuke had been wrong, and a glimpse behind him told him that the Hyuuga was actually following him quite successfully. The Hyuuga's were true priests that had been bequeathed with the necessary tools to carry out their task. Or some of them had. Neji was the pride of his clan, the most powerful of his generation, and he tracked Sasuke effortlessly as the two gained ground towards the Uchiha manor. Having not expected Neji to be able to match his speed, Sasuke quickly mused over his options. He _could_ outright kill him, but most likely the Hyuuga hadn't caught a clear view of his face back at the church, and stopping to fight now would definitely give him that chance. As he was now, Sasuke could not promise a guaranteed kill.

He stepped behind a gnarled trunk as the other came hurtling through, hands glowing bright blue where Sasuke's head had been a split moment before. How he desired having his katana right now, he thought as he leapt backwards, deeply insulted at the thought that this human was giving him some trouble. He was up on a branch the next time Neji looked and doing something Itachi had taught him, he let out a breath from between his lips that was filled with golden fire, enclosing the both of them in a ring of flames as the branches around them caught ablaze.

_"Run while you still can, human,"_ he mocked, disappearing behind the fiery barrier.

The flames felt so hot, and Neji could see the heat waves rising in curtains from the burning trees. The snow was sizzling as it turned to water then black smoke, blocking his vision. Everything was pressing down on him, but just faintly he could see a dark break in the fire where he could escape. He braced himself as he processed the meaning of this available route. It was almost degrading. He thrust his arm to clutch the burning vegetation closest to him and just like that, everything was back to the way it was before Sasuke had cast the illusion, the absence of pain knocking him back into reality.

"A cheap technique," Neji said coldly. The vampire had hoped to make him run by offering what seemed to be the only escape route from a bad situation. "But my eyes can see through your illusions, vampire."

_"Cheap. But effective."_

During the illusion the vampire had gotten behind him. Neji paled and the first strike would certainly have connected with the back of his neck if it hadn't been the slightest of millimeters off his blind spot. That split second of realisation and reaction preserved his life but threw him off balance as he tried to locate the vampire again.

Sasuke wavered for just a moment as he sank back behind the smoke again, pondering whether to attempt to deal another finishing blow as the others eyes darted around. When the Hyuuga's hands began glowing again however, he clucked his tongue in annoyance. He gave the other one last, unseen condescending glare before he vanished with a swirl of his cloak.

When he reappeared in the confines of his manor he could feel the rush of blood that he'd just consumed churn disagreeably in his body. A single, horrible heave of his stomach had him reaching out for support. With the usage of inhuman techniques, human blood must be sacrificed. He grit his teeth against the nausea and balanced himself with a hand on the back of the couch. He swore loudly and when a figure on the sofa across the room moved he swore again, without a doubt as to who that silohuette belonged to.

"Otouto. What have I told you about playing before your food is digested?"

Lovely. Just absolutely lovely.

"Where the hell were you," he spat at Itachi.

The elder Uchiha brother's lips stretched into a faint smile. "About." It all came rushing back to Sasuke in a flood of snarling rage, together with his earlier anger at his brother.

"You know what. I don't care." As far as he was concerned, his current predicament was Itachi's fault. All of it. He turned and stalked up the stairs, and Itachi contemplated his stubbornness as he retreated to his own quarters, satisfied now that Sasuke had returned.

_End of Chapter One_

* * *

Feedback? I give thee cookies and a new chapter in return! The pace should pick up next chapter.


	3. Chapter 2

_**AN: **My love goes out to iyfanatic, marinav92, bookhippie, myfailsafe (I'm your stalker), skyglazingmaro, kingyo hanabi, and narutofan143. I write this chapter for you :)_

* * *

_**The Briefest Snow**_

_By__ Om0cha_

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_**Chapter Two:**_

_**The Snow That Follows**_

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"I propose the execution of Naruto Uzumaki."

A chorus of mutters went around the marble chamber, packed with the clan-members that had been awoken for the purpose of an urgent meeting in the break of the eve. Lit only by candles, the chamber and their stern faces were steeped in sharp, ominous shadows that made it difficult to recognize anyone, instilling a serious, formal atmosphere. From his seat at the long table at the forefront of the room, Hizashi raised his hand into the light and instantly a heavy silence fell. At the other side of the long table, the Council member that had spoken looked at him warily out of the corner of his eye, displeased at the blunt way in which his words were dismissed.

"Neji."

Neji stepped forward from the pillar he had been standing against and bowed lightly to his father. All eyes went to him, standing strongly before the clan heads. Hizashi surveyed him shrewdly for a moment, considering the worth in his words. "Naruto Uzumaki is your charge," he uttered slowly. "Do you have an opinion?"

"With all due respect to Senator Kurogane," Neji said, and he lowered his head slightly to the Senator who did the same to him. "I think it unnecessary to punish Uzumaki for the actions of the vampire. Not unless he himself shows signs of wanting to cooperate with it."

"And are there any signs?"

"None." Neji pursed his lips. "Uzumaki does not believe in supernatural existence. He believes that he is unjustly accused."

Hizashi folded his fingers across each other and rested his chin on them as he mused. "We here have all heard his appeals," he stated clearly. "It cannot be denied, however, that he was touched by evil forces from birth, or even before it. The mark upon his abdomen proves it, and every Hyuuga can see the darkness in him."

His brother Hiashi frowned from next to him. "What I would like to know," he pondered in a voice shakier than his twin's, "is why the vampire came tonight?" Murmurs instantly struck up again. The fiend, _monster_, had dared to approach the sacred Church. Not only dared, but had succeeded. Preposterous. Blasphemous.

Neji turned to the dozens of faceless brethren. "Tonight, one of the candle-pieces had been destroyed." The room went into uproar.

"It is too coincidental," Senator Kurogane exclaimed, "that when the field wavers in the split moment a piece shatters, a vampire is nearby! And on the last night of the year, too, when our guard is most down!"

"He lured the fiend to him!"

"The beast has seen him! Get rid of the boy before he becomes another one of them!"

"Silence!" Hizashi roared. The upheaval calmed reluctantly and the clan head narrowed his eyes. "We are a council. The days of hunting beasts down with charms and weapons are long gone. This matter _will_ be resolved in an orderly manner. Do I make myself clear?"

"Are we to wait then," Senator Kurogane sneered, stoking the animosity in the room, "for him to betray this town before we do anything?" Neji's well-mannered indifference simmered dangerously as he turned to face the man sharply.

"This council rules Konoha only because of the trust the people have in our clan," he said coldly and clearly, voice echoing to reach even the very back of the chamber. "As 'Hyuuga', we are responsible for protecting _all_ of Konoha. Naruto Uzumaki is a citizen of this town. He is guilty of no crime. As others in these modern times now say, even the accused are innocent until proven guilty. Are you suggesting that we abuse our power and execute anyone that we suspect may come into contact with demons?" His eyes flashed in the candlelight and the onlookers nearby shifted uncomfortably. "Are you suggesting that of those countless people that we have suspected over the years, all of them should be dead?"

Senator Kurogane lifted his chin and Neji thought he saw the slightest smirk play knowingly across his lips. "Neji-sama," he drawled. "In the past decade, we have only wrongly accused a single person. As it is, her death was not our doing."

Neji sneered. "You cannot possibly not know what that accusation meant for her. From the moment she was accused of collusion, we as well as killed her!"

Hiashi, frail and withdrawn Hiashi, at this point slammed his palm upon the desk. "Enough! My daughter's shame is not a matter relevant to this case, and will _not_ be brought up again." The warning glare he threw at Senator Kurogane was obvious and regaining his humility before his superiors, the Senator looked away. Hiashi muttered something to Hizashi who momentarily nodded and spoke, letting Hiashi withdraw from the meeting once again.

"It is true," he said, "that our authority hangs with the people. Once, we would have gone as far as to quietly remove any one person that opposed us, loathe as we are to admit it at present." The older members of the council frowned uneasily but said nothing.

"Naruto Uzumaki will live, for now," he announced with a leader's finality. "To the avoidance of an event like tonight, his time will be extended at the Central Church. For the coming months, he is to be monitored at all times." The room was abuzz. There was a strange excitement, an almost _lust_ akin presence that permeated them all. Neji gritted his teeth.

"However," Hiashi continued, and his voice rose high above the din, seeming to already sentence the absent accused. "If Naruto Uzumaki does indeed become a threat to Konoha in any way, he _will_ die. If he ever colludes with a vampire, then he is yours to eradicate as you see fit."

Bloodthirsty. The whole lot of them.

* * *

"They'll kill me. They won't kill me. They'll kill me. They won't kill me….they'll kill me."

Naruto dropped the empty stalk and let the last pink and white petal slip from between his fingers. It gave a pathetic wobble midair in its attempt to float before joining the other scattered petals on the floor. He let out a heavy sigh.

"You lose," a voice said. "Again."

Naruto turned his head slightly to watch Neji coming down the aisle. He had already recognized him from the deep tone but like they say, always keep your enemies in sight. Naruto stared blankly at him as he came to a stop next to the bench he was on. Sheepishly, he set his feet on the ground from where he'd tugged them up onto the bench to hug to himself, sweeping the poor, desecrated flower to the side as he did.

"I didn't do that," he said, gesturing to the millions of rainbow pieces at the bottom of the now gaping window frame. Sunlight was pouring freely into the church now that dawn had come and dust particles were floating almost enchantingly across the scene. Next to that, the little candle that he'd shattered looked rather insignificant.

"Don't be ridiculous, there was no way you could get up that high," Neji said dismissively.

"So do you know who did it?"

Neji glanced at him sideways before flicking his lilac eyes to the cross. "No. We don't." He was lying and they both knew it. Naruto ignored it.

"What's going to happen to me now?" he asked airily, leaning back with his arms behind his head.

"I am escorting you to the Central Church," Neji said curtly and Naruto sat up in surprise and trepidation.

"Now_?"_

"Yes. Now."

Neji turned on his heel and Naruto hastened to get up as he strode towards the double doors, grabbing the coat he'd left on the floor and dodging the now extinguished candles. As he pulled it on and stepped outside, the blast of cold that met him almost froze him in his tracks and he clenched his teeth against the bitter, frosty air.

The raven made no attempt to strike up a conversation with the blonde lagging behind and Naruto knew that there was no point trying to encourage one. Their interests were probably polar opposites. Somehow, Naruto couldn't imagine a wasted Neji stretched out with laughter on Kiba's couch, which as far as he was concerned was the most enjoyable time that he had had for the past month. Their silent pace kept up along the white-dusted pebble lane and winding dirt paths until they were out of the thin woods, Neji slowing down to a casual walk and Naruto falling into step beside him. In the short minutes it had taken them to reach the streets, dawn had truly broken. Early stragglers were wandering around and the town was starting to come alive.

"Am – " Naruto paused as a woman walked past. "Am I being punished?"

"No." Neji was silently acknowledging people that greeted him as they passed and Naruto felt slightly inferior, unconsciously curbing himself closer to the edge of the path but at the same time avoiding the occasional vendor setting up their stall. "We are extending your time because last night wasn't completed," Neji explained. "Be thankful that we are merciful, and that it isn't in anyone's interests to start a new year with bloodshed."

"Of course," Naruto said, rolling his eyes. "I would never _dream_ of accusing you of helping me." Neji stopped walking suddenly and Naruto glanced at him warily. For a moment he thought he was going to get hit, but then he craned his neck over his shoulder when he realized that Neji was merely looking behind him.

"Ichiraku ramen?" he said questioningly, turning back and raising an eyebrow as Neji examined the menu that was taped to the glass. "Are you hungry or something?"

"Aren't _you_ hungry?" Neji responded curtly. Naruto stared at the pictures of steaming ramen and flushed, wordlessly admitting just how much he was craving food. Neji _had_ snatched him off the lane before he had dinner after all.

"We can't have you collapsing midway." Neji pushed open the glass door and a gentle, tinkling bell sound rang throughout the restaurant. As he walked in, Naruto exclaimed after him but followed nonetheless, thankful for the heated warmth inside.

"I don't think the old man opens up this early," he said, glancing around. Sure enough, all the rows of wooden tables and the register were empty, and the only movements visible from behind the order desk were the coils of steam rising from the stoves. Neji pressed on the counter bell a single time – Naruto had to admire the self-constraint — and they hadn't waited for five seconds before the owner of the store came bustling out from the kitchen, wiping his hands on his apron as he did.

"I'm afraid we don't open for another 10 mi— Hyuuga sama?" For a moment the old man looked thoroughly perplexed and his hand went reflexively up to his white folded kitchen cap before he caught sight of Naruto.

"Hey old man," Naruto said nervously. Neji didn't say anything and Naruto wondered if the Hyuugas knew how creepy their eyes could be when they stared like that.

"Naruto? Ah, well that explains it," the owner said good naturedly. "Bringing me more customers? Well, come on in." And he enthusiastically grabbed a pair of menus from the counter and ushered them to a table in the middle of the room. Naruto spent a serious second pondering whether it would be worse to sit next to or across from Neji. He decided to sit across. Only couples sat next to each other and Naruto did not want that on his conscience while he ate. The old man came back with a pen and pad.

"It's a Friday today, so it will be shio ramen for you, Naruto?" he asked enthusiastically.

"You bet," Naruto grinned.

"And for you, Hyuuga sama?"

Neji had what Naruto could only describe as a confused frown marring his forehead as he scanned the menu.

"Do you have any vegetarian dishes?"

Before the owner could reply, Naruto tugged the menu from Neji's hand and gave both back to him. "He'll have the same as me," he assured him and looked at Neji who was giving off a disapproving expression. "There's no meat in it, and it's great," he said defensively, but he felt the faintest prickle of heat at the back of his neck. Neji wasn't one of his friends. Naruto liked being casual even around strangers, but maybe that would be a bad choice here.

The preparation of their food left the two in another bout of awkward silence. At least on Naruto's part, and he played childishly with his wooden chopsticks. Neji's gaze was trained on what he could see of the kitchen, eyeing the old man cook the ramen with a vulture-like seriousness. Naruto had never been so thankful that ramen was quick to cook.

When the old man had set down two huge bowls of generously decorated ramen before them and retreated cheerfully, Naruto threw all caution to the winds and began gulfing down the delicious noodles without care for the man opposite him. Neji swirled the noodles experimentally with his chopsticks before taking a bite. Naruto found himself waiting expectantly with a mouthful of broth.

"It," Neji said slowly after chewing, "is not what I was expecting."

Naruto tilted his head. Meaning?

"It is not as horrible as I would have expected from a place like this," Neji supplied, "but it is not good enough to live off."

"Well, I'm alive aren't I?" Naruto scowled.

"We are well aware of your eating habits," Neji said curtly and Naruto shut up. Of course they would be. They would probably know how much time he spent at home, in the shower, in the bathroom, sleeping, probably even how long it took him to _fall_ asleep. He returned to slurping his noodles with what he hoped was dignity. When he finished all too soon, however, it was with stupidity that he realized he'd just gotten rid of his only distraction. Neji was picking at his noodles with baneful slowness and not wanting to appear listless, Naruto waved the old man and ordered another bowl.

When his gaze unwillingly slipped back to the only other company he had, he saw with gratefulness that someone else had entered the restaurant. The man appeared to give the restaurant a single sweeping inspection before his gaze rested on Naruto's face. Naruto gave him a friendly smile.

When the man didn't look away however, Naruto felt his smile slip slightly. The dark haired man smirked, a stretch of lips across his flawless, pale skin. Neji, giving up, lifted his head to see Naruto staring blankly. He looked behind his own shoulder before facing his charge with annoyance. "And what, pray ask, is so interesting that it makes you look like more of an idiot than usual?"

Naruto jerked in surprise and gave his attention back to the Hyuuga. "Nothing. The old man's got a really cool lucky cat."

Neji turned around again and considered the lucky cat statue that sat on the counter next to the bell. "It has fine craftsmanship," he agreed, shifting around again. "Though, I wouldn't have thought you would be interested in something like that." He regarded him suspiciously. "Or are you starting to believe in superstitions now?"

Naruto gave him a funny, unreadable look. "It's a nice cat. That's all." Neji shrugged and then glared when the old man came back with Naruto's second bowl of noodles. Laughing nervously at the mutinous expression, Naruto hurriedly bent his head down to eat while Neji sat back in his seat and waited. When Naruto dared to cast his eyes up again, Neji had closed his eyes and was reclining peacefully. The man behind him had left.

It was strange that both times, Naruto had missed the gentle tinkling ring as the door opened and closed.

* * *

Sasuke had been sure he had done it properly. His smirk had become a condescending sneer when the Hyuuga called Neji had turned around, only to see right through him and survey the lucky cat statue behind him. When the blonde that had smiled at him also talked of the statue, however, Sasuke questioned to himself whether Naruto had seen him either. The blonde seemed to be of a carefree disposition when allowed and Sasuke did not mark him as the type to silkily act as if nothing were wrong. There was also none of that odd feeling that he had felt last night and he began to feel deterred.

But when he was once again standing on the snow outside of Ichiraku's glass windows, and saw preciously hued blue eyes flicker ever so slightly to the cat, he reconsidered his initial impressions of the blonde.

He followed them to as far as the Town Square before falling back. He was confident in his ability to blindside the young Hyuuga. He was not so sure that he could deal with the many veteran Hyuugas that always patrolled the centre of Konoha. Not wanting to manually take the stroll back to the mansion, he sacrificed some more of the blood that he had consumed and with a speed comparable to flight, he was at the doorstep.

When he stepped into the kitchen he was surprised to see Itachi sitting stiffly at the table.

"Where were you?" Itachi asked lowly, imitating Sasuke's own question from the night before. Sasuke's lack of answer was to give Itachi a taste of his own antics, and he grabbed a glass from the cupboard and a bottle of wine from the rack at the mini-bar they had. He sat on the stool at the bar and calmly poured himself a glass and began drinking it.

Itachi frowned at him. "Extremely mature, Sasuke. But I suppose that since you are back alive and well, there is no longer any need for me to find out."

Sasuke swallowed the liquid and furrowed his own brows in an uncanny resemblance to his older brother. "What do you mean by that?"

"I was worried that you were the one currently burning in the Square," Itachi answered drily. He walked over and also poured himself a generous glass from the bottle Sasuke had left uncorked on the table. "But I suppose," he continued, "that even my idiot little brother isn't foolish enough to strut into the Central Church in broad daylight." Sasuke's eyes widened.

"There is another vampire in Konoha?"

"Was," Itachi corrected. "And it probably hadn't been here for long before it was caught."

They drank their glasses in silence after that.

* * *

"You will stay here until the day after tomorrow, at least. I will come back once a day to bring you food and water. Is there anything else?"

Neji's bottom lip curled when Naruto just shook his head vacantly. The blonde was currently sitting in one of the rows of benches towards the middle of the church. His cerulean eyes were fixed morosely on the shimmering glass panels above the altar at the front of the Church, gazing distantly at the blue sky that appeared only as a tint in the glass. Neji suspected that the blonde didn't even know what he was looking at.

He felt grim as he thought of the scene that they had unknowingly chanced upon in the Town Square, right outside this very building. From the top of the marble steps that lead down to the sunken Square and the church, they had at first been able to see only an apricot flush to the horizon. As they descended, it didn't take long for Neji to realise that the priests had caught something and were in the process of exorcising it. Permanently. Unfortunately, there was no way to avoid the scene if they were to get into the Central Church, and so Neji had continued to lead Naruto down the wet, slippery steps until the blonde also realized what the acrid, burning smell was coming from.

Naruto hadn't stopped, or given any indication of his discomfort other than to steel his jaw and avoid looking at the blazing fireball melting the snow, surrounded by priests on every side. Neji wondered if Naruto was trying to avoid seeing his future. After the engraved, oaken doors shut behind Neji and glowed momentarily, Naruto dropped his face into his hands and breathed heavily.

The smell.

The sight.

The eerie, crackling noise.

He wasn't limited to a particular part of the Church here. The Central Church was supposedly powerful enough that he would be affected anywhere within its walls, which was why Neji had allowed him to stay where he was, a good distance away from the candles and glass and altar. Despite the energy that he had from his recent breakfast, he simply didn't have the motivation to do anything. Normally he would try and entertain himself. He would go up the stairs at the side and gaze outside the windows, scoff at the writings in the large, leather book perched upon the lectern, or even just do jogs up and down the aisle. He had to keep himself healthy after all.

Instead, he stayed where he was. He hadn't even done so much as gone to the bathroom when Neji was back in the afternoon with his evening meal. Neji set the little bento box and clear bottle of water upon the lectern. When he didn't leave immediately, Naruto averted his gaze from the now darkening glass panels, feeling his neck protest painfully as he watched Neji set something down on the marble altar as well. Curiosity getting the better of him, he sidestepped out of the row and stepped down the aisle and up the front where the other was now moving back. Naruto stopped beside him and looking between the burning candles, he saw a beautiful golden chalice, its rim carved with a spiralling, archaic language. He almost voiced his appreciation of its form before he looked inside and made a horrible noise at the chalice instead.

Blood. Thick, so richly red that it was almost black, blood.

Neji spoke. "You are not to touch it." He eyed Naruto sternly and said clearly, "No matter what."

"Who – whose—"

"Only the vampire who was captured this morning," Neji said coldly. With any luck, it was the one that had been at the Eastern Church. "It is common knowledge in our clan that vampires cannot stand the blood of their own kind."

"And that's supposed to help strengthen the field?"

"Theoretically, it should give any other creatures another reason to stay away," Neji answered. He didn't leave until Naruto had returned to the benches, perhaps making sure he would not prod at the chalice the first chance he got. "Do not forget to eat," were his parting words.

Naruto didn't forget. He spent the entire night with his gaze now transferred from the glass to the chalice, too unnerved to go near it again.

He ended up eating the cold bento in the morning, when the thought came to him that he would be in trouble for weakening himself and thus, the field. He took the bento and bottle back with him to his bench, though. The day passed mildly like normal after that. He did a bit of exercise. He looked out from the second floor; he found himself looking down at the chalice.

He could feel his thoughts shifting dangerously. By the time Neji had come and gone again the next day, he had confirmed to himself that the chalice contained nothing more than human blood.

Naruto wasn't cursed. He couldn't be. He had merely had the misfortune of losing his parents and then being picked up by the Hyuugas. There was no vampire after his blood; vampires didn't even exist.

Therefore, that was no vampire blood in that chalice. It was the life of some innocent human much like himself, only found in the wrong circumstances. Naruto could feel his reasoning balance precariously like a wall between his opposing thoughts.

_You are not to touch it_.

Why? What did Neji think some innocent, human blood was going to do to him, who was also human? There was no way anything could happen. Naruto would bet his life on it.

And so before he knew it, he was standing at the altar. His hand was hovering over the chalice and then he dipped his finger to ever so slightly graze the still blood. For a split second he thought nothing would happen, and that he _had_ to get over this self-gambling addiction of his.

Before he knew it, something electrical tingled on his finger.

A silent, invisible wave spread from the church.

* * *

Miles away, Sasuke felt it.

_End of Chapter Two_

* * *

_The next chapter may or may not come soon. I have a deadline after which I can't do much for awhile._


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